Strata are layers of soil and sediment that are slowly accumulated over time and changed in various ways by heat, pressure, and chemical action. My section of the Driftless Region, in southeastern Minnesota, is surrounded by beautiful bluffs that line the Mississippi River. These ancient hills have experienced so much change over their many years of existence and the strata in the rocks is evidence of that. The varied sizes of stripes in this cowl reminded me of the many layers of earth that make up the bluffs and hillside of this region I love so much.